My NOLA Beatles Baby Shower...

Greetings, my Blogosphere friends!

 

I am super excited about this post! Today marks the end of week 34, which means that tomorrow I am officially on a one handed weekly countdown to baby's arrival! Wow! Where has the time gone? Even with the diagnosis of the GD, I have loved being pregnant. I wouldn't say it is the easiest thing I have ever done, but it is certainly one of the most exciting, joyous, exhilirating, exhausting, wonderful, beautiful things I have ever done! God is so good, and each day that passes that I feel my mischka growing in my tummy, I am reminded that He is the creator and in control of all things. I feel so blessed to get to be a mommy, and I pray for God's continued grace throughout the rest of my pregnancy.

 

On to the awesomeness of this post: with later babydom comes the love so generously poured out by others in the form of baby showers. September 21st marked Baby Muller and my first baby shower. I had been kept in the dark about the theme, and I was BLOWN AWAY!

 

Here in my NOLA family, we have a group of eight women we call the NOLA Mammies. They are the crew that gets together to throw all of us girls these AMAZING bridal/baby showers, and this one was no exception. Not knowing the gender freed them up to unleash their creativity in brand new ways, and they not only rose to the occassion, they blew it out of the water. Let me preface this by saying I am, and have been since I was little bitty and my dad played me their old albums, a HUGE Beatles fan. Welcome to Baby Muller's Beatles Baby Shower!

 

 Pulling up into the driveway, guests were greeting with a high flying British flag; and at the front door, they were given direction to exactly where it is they were arriving.

 

 

 

As you walked in, you were greeted by the Abbey Road album crosswalk instead of a pink or blue or red carpet.

 

I couldn't believe everything I saw when I walked up and in. It was so fun to walk my pregnant self across my own "Abbey Road Crosswalk" as I entered into the party. The front door had beautiful tulle wreathes with music notes interlaced into them. I got to take the two home for our front door and hospital room door when Baby Muller arrives. :) 

 

Beside the front door sat my guest book, but it wasn't just any guest book. The Mammies had taken an old record (not a Beatles album...don't worry...) and printed a new center for it that gave the date of my shower as well as mine and Prince Charming's names. Guests signed it on both sides with white paint pens. I LOVE this guest book. Most guest books get filed away on a shelf. This one will be displayed in our nursery.

As a favor for guests, the hostesses had set up a fill a bag candy station, and EVERYTHING had been given a Beatles twist to its name. It was adorable and beautiful!

Here is the display of delicious candies. I was able to make a bag to take home to keep in my hospital bag for the day Baby Muller arrives since I can't partake due to the GD right now.

The display boasted an array of "John LemonHeads," "Ringo StarrBursts," "Lucy in the Sky with Ring Pops,"

"Helter Skittles," "Pay Day Trippers"

"Hey Ju-Ju Bees," "Hello, Goodbar,"

"All You Need is Dove," "Twix and Shout," and "Ob-la-di, Ob-la-dots." The candy bar was precious...and there was more!

Here I and my 33 1/2 week pregnant belly are with five of the Mammies. Two were out for family reasons, and one is my mother-in-law who just got to enjoy the festivities since it is her grandbaby on the way. My hostesses wore pink and blue Beatles shirts since we don't know what we are having! (Side note: I totally didn't plan to wear anything fitting with the theme, but the blue and red dress I got at Motherhood Maternity worked perfectly for our British theme.)

In the front foyer was the cutest little drum set ever. They had taken a children's toy drum set with a Sesame Street theme and covered it strategically with black paper and printed a printed Beatles logo. It looked so legit! And there were bright, colorful frames like these filled with some of the best Beatles songs and lyrics all over the house.

The cake table was set up in the formal dining room, and the spread was perfect and adorable.

The cake was a yellow cake with vanilla filling, and it had the most perfect yellow submarine cake topper!

Next to the cake was this stand full of Twinkie yellow submarines. These were so adorable to look at and served as much a decoration as a treat!

The napkins were all a groovy 60s theme tie-dye, and this bowl would house one of my shower favorites: coffee punch! I will definitely have to share that recipe with you. It will win you some new friends and make you the most popular person at any get together you bring it to...thank me later. :)

The living room was the gift/unwrapping station. My glider from our nursery was brought over from our house (thank you, Prince Charming) as it was our gift from SugarPie. It is the gray chair in the corner. I also brought along the baby blanket I sewed with the Carousel Designs fabric, and I brought the yellow crocheted blanket my great-grandmother made for my future children before she passed away a couple of years ago. The mantle was boasting Beatles onesies and t-shirts for mischka in addition to children's books, blankies, toys, and a piggy bank.

Throughout the house, Beatles coasters were scattered on every surface. This was a treat I got to take home, in addition to all of the mantle goodies. Each coaster had a different album cover on it. They were a perfect way to carry the theme all around.

At the station on the kitchen counter where people could make their guess of Baby Muller's gender and give me advice was this cute "Whisper Words of Wisdom" jar. I loved this, and the notes from our guests were priceless!

In the eat-in kitchen, there was a buffet table set up. Just like with the candy bar, every dish was named after a Beatles song or lyric.

We started with "Eleanor Rigatoni" chicken pasta alfredo, and the sweet Mammies had even made a separate batch of whole wheat just for GD me. :)

We had "I am the Egg Man" deviled eggs. These are a GD dream and one of my favorite treats ever!

There were a tower of "Chicken to Ride" croissant sandwiches. I had the chicken salad, and it was divine.

There was also "My Sweet Lord Ginger's Crab Dip" made by Mammie Ginger. It was divine!

This bowl would house our "Octopus's Garden Salad." It was light and fresh and oh so tasty!

And for this GD mama, who couldn't have the cake, they laid out the most darling Strawberry Fields spread. It had fresh strawberries with a sweet dip and powdered sugar, strawberry hard candies, and (not pictured) a platter of chocolate dipped strawberries.

 

The centerpiece of the buffet was this tiny little baby grand piano. It was a perfect focal point.

 

As a last detail, the mantle in the buffet area had been decorated with Beatles albums and a Beatles clock. They really thought about every detail!

 

Here I am in my prego glory, rolling in Beatle-mania bliss!

 

I had the honor of cutting the cake (even if I couldn't have a piece myself). :)

One of the best surprises of the day was the arrival of my little sister, Cookie. She drove in from Mississippi despite the fact that we had a family situation happening there, so I wouldn't be on my own. I was THRILLED to see her, and it made all the difference in the world having her there!

Cookie was the first non-Mammie to sign the guest book! Yay!

 

As the guests arrived, I stood at Abbey Road to greet them. Here are some shots of our time together.

My mother-in-law, Baby Muller's Bella, and Cookie at the cake table.

Let the gift opening commence! It was a marathon session, but thanks to Cookie, Kay-Kay, and Nannie Frannie, we knocked it out in just over an hour! I couldn't have done it without you guys!

Every gift was so sweet and thoughtful. We received everything from nursery decor and bedding to bath towels and accessories to diapering and feeding items to toys and books. This is going to be one blessed and loved baby!

 

Whew! Even just reliving that shower made me a little tired! :) The NOLA Mammies did an excellent job putting this shindig on to celebrate the coming of Baby Muller. It was so me, and it was one of the best showers I have ever been to, hands-down. (Maybe I am a little biased...) From the food, to the gifts, to the Beatles decor, to the Beatles sing-along (yes, that happened), it was amazing! I am so thankful to have such amazing, talented, kind, caring, loving, generous, Christ-like and Christ-centered people in my and this coming little one's lives!

 

Baby Muller, Prince Charming, and I will be headed to Mississippi this weekend for a shower there. I can't wait to see what Aunt Dolly has in store for us. My mom will get to be at that shower, too, so that will be extra special for me. We also have a couples shower this Saturday night back in NOLA (yes, mommy and mischka have a busy weekend ahead) playing Bunco for diapers. I can't wait to post all about those, too! I hope you enjoy and are inspired by my shower as much as I was, and I look forward to blogging to you again soon.

 

Y'all Come Back Now, Ya Hear?

Brittney